We are sharing our fourth alumni newsletter of 2020 during a time of tremendous uncertainty with the spread of COVID-19 across the state, the country and around the world. We hope that you, your family, friends and neighbors and your co-workers and/or clients are staying safe and doing okay during the pandemic. We are thinking about you and remain very grateful that you are part of our Greater Missouri world.

As each day greets us with more headlines about the growing economic and public health toll of this pandemic, it’s only natural to wonder whether and how the work we do might make a difference in the face of such a global issue.

I’m reminded of an old story about the woman and the starfish.

One day, a mature woman was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As she walked she came upon a young lass who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one. Puzzled, the woman looked at the girl and asked what she was doing. Without looking up from her task, the girl simply replied, “I’m saving these starfish, Mam”. The old woman snickered aloud, “Young lady, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?” The girl picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the woman, said, “I made a difference to that one!”

Let that be the spirit that continues guiding us all in our Greater Missouri Leadership Foundation work during these challenging times.